Waste-materials-handling system

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for containerizing waste material under pressure in vans for hauling on railcars of the type having elevatable turntable-type van supports, and for loading and unloading the vans relatively to the railcars, includes a plurality of compactors spaced along and beside a rail siding on a raised platform. Another platform of the same height is on the opposite side of the siding track. The compactors work transversely of the track. The height of the platforms conforms to a raised position of the turntables so that each van can be turned, when its turntable is raised, to a position such that the two ends of the van overlie the platforms. When the turntables are lowered the vans rest transversely on the platforms in bridging relation thereto, and the train is movable freely under the bridging vans. Winches are used to move the train to align each van with its compactor, and to move loaded vans to another siding, as well as to move the train and vans at the disposal site. The vans when in the bridging position are closer together than when on the train.

limited States Pater Pinch 1 1 Feb.8,1972

[54] WASTE-MATERiALS-HANDLIING SYSTEM [72] Inventor: Robert J. Pioch, Jackson, Mich.

[73] Assignee: liysor Industrial Corporation, Cadilla,

Mich.

[221 Filed: June 30, 1969 211 Appl. No.: 837,417

3,442,404 5/1969 Pioch ..2l4/38 Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan Attorney-Price, Heneveld, Huizenga & Cooper [5 7] ABSTRACT Apparatus for containerizing waste material under pressure in vans for hauling on railcars of the type having elevatable tumtable-type van supports, and for loading and unloading the vans relatively to the railcars, includes a plurality of compactors spaced along and beside a rail siding on a raised platform. Another platform of the same height is on the opposite side of the siding track. The compactors work transversely of the track. The height of the platforms conforms to a raised position of the turntables so that each van can be turned, when its turntable is raised, to a position such that the two ends of the van overlie the platforms. When the turntables are lowered the vans rest transversely on the platforms in bridging relation thereto, and the train is movable freely under the bridging vans. Winches are used to move the train to align each van with its compactor, and to move loaded vans to another siding, as well as to move the train and vans at the disposal site. The vans when in the bridging position are closer together than when on the train.

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures mmmm 81m 3,640,410

I mw" INVENTOR.

WASTE-MATERIALS-HANDLINC SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention has as its principal object to improve the method and apparatus disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,404, by providing means for compaction-loading and handling rail vans with increased speed and economy and with a lesser consumption of space at the loading station and at the disposal site, without requiring separation of individual rail cars either during loading or unloading.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the present disclosure in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the layout of trackage and buildings at a loading station constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the loading station on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially as indicated by the line and arrows IIl-III of FIG. 2, the rail car and platforms being shown in 90 perpendicular section;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of an unloading station at the dump site;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line VV of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but with parts positioned somewhat differently;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of a container reloading station located at the dump site;

FIG. 7 is a cross section taken substantially on the line Vll VII of FIG. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but with parts positioned somewhat differently, and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows, shown on a larger scale and showing the positioning car in end elevation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORM OF THE INVENTION The railroad track layout for a transfer station is shown in FIG. I and consists of sidings suitably connected to a mainline 10. The transfer station comprises a compaction-loading installation which preferably includes a building structure 12, and a loading station 14 for uncompressed cargo. Typically the transfer station is placed at a convenient site for the receipt of waste material from a large source such as a city, so that trucks containing waste products can discharge their loads without running to a distant land fill or disposal site.

In the illustrative embodiment shown, the trackage for the transfer station consists of an approach siding 15 connected to the main line 10 and in turn connected by double switches 16 with a compaction loading siding 18 close and parallel to platform 24 on the open side of the building 12, an intermediate siding 20 parallel to and on the other side of the siding 18, and a storage siding 22 colinear with the siding 18.

As shown on a larger scale in FIGS. 2 and 3, building 12 has platform 24 formed as its lower floor and adjacent and higher than the tracks of siding 18. Another platform 25 on the other side ofsiding 18 is of the same height as platform 24. Siding 18 thus in effect lies in a cut 26 between the platforms 24 and 25. Another platform 28 on the same level as platforms 24, 25 is provided on the opposite side of siding 20, which thus in effect lies in a similar cut 30. In the illustrative embodiment shown, 10 compaction-injection units, generally designated 50 are provided in the building 12, spaced along the platform 24 and uniformly angularly disposed at approximately 60 to the siding 18. Each unit is preferably constructed in accordance with the unit disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 807, 264, filed Mar. 14, 1969.

The spacing between the several compaction units is less than the spacing between the van bodies when mounted on rail cars, and the van bodies are longer than the width of the cut 26. Close to siding 18 on the building side but beyond the ends of the row of compactors a pair of winches 41, 42 are provided and a single cable 47 extends between and at each of its opposite ends is wound around the two winches. An intermediate portion of the cable is provided with a fitting 49 for attachment to one of the cars of a coupled train on the siding 18, so that by simultaneous operation of the winches the train can be moved along the track. A control for the winches is located at each compaction unit and has means for causing the cable and connected cars to move to the right or left at slow speed or at high speed.

The system is intended to employ van-carrying rail cars of a standardized Flexi-Vari" type, each car being provided with two rotatable and elevatable turntable like supports, a standardized van being adapted to be carried by each of the turntables. As to the construction of such rail cars reference may be had to Mellam U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,052, and to the general description contained in my aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,404. Each van body is adapted to be ram filled from one end, and is preferably constructed like the receptacle disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,414, although the receptacles and compactors may be of larger size than the highwaytype equipment illustrated in that patent.

In FIG. 3 one of the rail cars is diagrammatically indicated in cross section at 44, in which view the supporting turntable 45 is shown in the lowered position but it will be noted that the van body 52 is turned to the angular position in which it bridges the cut 26 and rests on the platfon'ns 24, 25. The depth of the cut 26 exceeds the total height of the car 44 when the turntable is lowered, but is less than the raised height, and the length of the turntable is also less than the width of the cut, so that the turntables and vans can be turned to transverse position when raised but with the turntables lowered the train can move freely under vans resting on and across platforms 24, 25.

If full use of all compactors is to be made, cars carrying ten vans are backed into the siding 18 from the siding l5 and the train is stopped with the rearmost van, 52', opposite the last compactor, 50 of the series. The five cars carrying the 10 vans, 5050' inclusive are left on the siding 18 coupled together, and the cable 47 is connected to this five car train. The cars are moved by means of the winches to position the rearmost van 52' in alignment with the compactor 50 the turntable carrying the van body 52 is raised sufficiently so that the bottom of the van is above the level of the platforms 24, 25, and turned to the proper angularity. The winches are operated to any additional extend required for accurate alignment of the van body with the compactor, and the turntable is then lowered to rest the van on and across the platforms 24, 25. The parts are so positioned that when so rotated and aligned, the load-receiving end of the van body is within a few inches of the compactor. The grappling means of the compactor is then attached to the van and is operated to pull the van body to the compactor and fasten the two together to permit compaction loading of the van, the procedures in this regard now being known in the trade and described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,404.

After the van 52 has been spotted and rested across the platforms for connection to compactor 50'"- van 52 is raised by means of its turntable, and turned to a transverse position. The cars are then backed farther to the right, sufiiciently to align van 52 with compactor 50. Vans 52 -52' are successively spotted and coupled in similar fashion, each turntable being lowered so that the train can be moved by the winches for alignment of the vans with the compactors. It will be noted that this arrangement permits the compactors to be much closer together than the spacing of the vans when on the train.

In the preferred construction shown, the building 12 has an upper loading floor 35 with openings 55--55 inclusive which communicate with the hoppers 38 for the top opening compaction chambers of the individual compactors. The building and its approaches are arranged to permit collection trucks to drive onto the floor 35 over scale 39, back up to the floor openings 55'55' and dump their loads into the compactors therethrough. As shown in FIG. 2, the trucks in the dumping position are on lines, corresponding to the line 56,

perpendicular to the angular positioning of the vans and to the direction of ram travel. The angularity of the spotted and coupled vans and direction of ram travel are indicated by the centerline 57, which is approximately 60 to the siding. A truck is shown at 58.

ln a typical use of the depicted installation, the train which returns from the disposal site to the transfer station might comprise a total of 15 rail cars carrying 30 closed vans intended for compaction loading in the manner described above, plus one or more rail cars carrying open-topped containers intended to receive uncompressible material, the open container cars being on the rear of the train, which is at the right when viewed as in FIG. 2. The train is backed through siding 15 and onto siding 20 where the open container cars are left in a position opposite the dumping station 14 to receive loose or uncompressible cargo which is dumped thereinto from the elevated dumping ramp. Seven cars containing closed vans for compressed cargo are left on siding 18 and the vans of the five rearmost cars are spotted and coupled to the compactors for compression loading in the manner described. After the vans are unloaded from the rear five cars, the two cars which contained the vans 52 -52 inclusive are uncoupled and pulled out (leaving three cars on siding l8) and the two cars backed onto and left on siding 20 in a position approximately opposite compactors 5050 respectively. (The open container cars have previously been placed farther to the right on siding 20.) The remaining eight cars of the original l5, containing empty closed vans, are left on siding 15 at this time.

Compactors 50'50 are used first and handle loading as rapidly as possible during rush periods. Means are provided for pulling these vans away from the compactors and across the platforms 24, 25, 28 to bridging relation with respect to the siding 20.

At opposite ends of the platform 28 on the farther side of siding 20, car moving winches 61-62 are provided between which extends a single cable 67 having a substantial length at each end wound around the winch. The winches are simultaneously operable to move cars along the siding. Platform 28 is also provided with a winch 65 and four deadhead pulleys 66'--66" inclusive, one such pulley being on the projected centerline 57 of each of the compactors Sty-40. When each of the vans 52-52 is filled, it is pulled across the platforms 25-28 by means of the winch 65 and placed in bridging relation across the cut 30, as indicated in dot-dash lines in the lefthand portion of FIG. 2. The two empty closed container cars previously placed on this portion of siding are moved along the siding to properly align the turntables under the container vans. When aligned with its van, each turntable is raised, connected to the filled van, turned to the longitudinal position and lowered for transportation by rail. The two additional cars of the first seven, containing empty vans, are then moved on siding 18 and their vans located and coupled to compactors 50--50 to replace those which were moved onto siding 20.

Preferably the compactors are constructed in accordance with my copending patent application Ser. No. 807,264, filed Mar. l4, l969. The packer construction disclosed in said application can be loaded while no van or container is attached thereto. Loads can therefore be dumped into the compactors 50'50 while the van bodies are being shifted between sidings 15, 18, 20 in the manner described.

After the four replacement containers and the other containers (52'52 on siding 18 have all been loaded, all seven loaded closed container cars from sidings 18 and 20 are moved onto siding 22 for storage until the remaining six cars with empty van bodies are also loaded. These six cars on siding 15 with empty closed containers are next moved onto siding 18. The rearmost or sixth car is a cleanup" car and is pushed to the far end of siding 18, beyond compactor 50'. The train could of course have included two extra cars with empty containers to permit shifting four vans to siding 20 and replacing them as before, but in any event after all of the other cars are loaded and are moved away from siding 18, the cleanup car is used to receive refuse remaining in the chutes of any of the compactors. Thereafter all of the loaded cars are ready for hauling to the disposal site. The six loaded cars from siding 18 are first moved to siding 15, the seven loaded cars stored on siding 22 are moved to siding 18, the cars on siding 15 are then pushed back and coupled to the cars on siding 18, whereafter these cars are pulled out and then pushed back onto siding 20 to pick up the two loaded closed container cars and any loaded open container cars on siding 20. The train is then ready to move to the disposal site.

At the disposal site the filled containers are handled with the facilities shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The siding track is provided with side support walls 73, 74 defining a cut having a depth which, as before, is greater than the height of the cars with turntables lowered, but less than the height of the car with turntables raised. Winches 71, 72 spaced along the track and similarly equipped with a common cable are used in like fashion to move the cars for spotting and to permit the vans to be similarly turned and rested on the walls 73, 74 in a transverse positioning closer together than the spacing of the turntables on the cars. A suitable tractor truck 75 is employed to remove the loaded vans from the supporting walls, convey then to a dump site, discharge the contents, and return the same for reloading on the rail cars at another siding portion 80, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Siding track is similarly arranged in a cut 83 of a similar depth slightly greater than the height of the rail cars when the turntables are in lowered position. Paired winches 81, 82 arranged similarly to the paired winches previously described are provided for moving the cars longitudinally to align their turntable-type carriers with the van bodies. Additional positioning means for the van bodies, shown as an electric car 85, is provided running parallel to and spaced from the siding 80 a distance slightly exceeding one-half the length of the van bodies. Positioning car 85 is provided with a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 91 for moving the vans transversely of the track through a limited travel to provide final alignment in that direction. Rough initial alignment is provided with the aid of a rigid abutment wall 88 on the other side of the cut 83 and which is so positioned that when the vans are backed against the wall 88 by means of the tractor 75, they are positioned in substantial alignment in a direction transverse to the cut, but slightly too far toward the side farther from the truck. The cylinder and piston assembly 91 is therefore only required to complete a small final adjustment. The piston rod 92 has an eye 93 at its end for connection to the hook (not shown) on the van, which hook is used for attachment to the winch cables used to move the vans longitudinally, including the cable of winch 65 as well as the cable 94 of truck 75. I

The positioning car 85 also carries an electric motor 95 for driving the pump 90 and controls (not shown) for the paired winches 81-82. The car may derive its power from a buried third rail 96, and additional buried conductor rail means 98 is provided for conveying control power from the winch controller on the car 85 to winch system 81-82. Emptied containers are returned to siding 80 and backed against the abutment wall 88 by the tractor 75, then finally aligned by means of the positioning car 85, and the winch means 81-82, to position the turntables successively under their respective vans. Each turntable is successively aligned with an endmost van in the manner described, and is raised, connected to the van, moved away by the winch means 81-82, to provide room for turning, and then turned and lowered to position the van properly longitudinally on the car. The train is successively moved and the operations repeated to pick up and position the vans on the train in sequence whereafter the train is ready for return to the transfer station.

It will be noted that at the van unloading siding 70 the support walls 73-74 are relatively high, so that the truck winch is not required to exert substantial lifting effort on the loaded vans (see FIG. 5). Rollers as 99 may be provided to assist movement of the vans across the support walls. At the van reloading siding 80 the van supports are preferably at ground level, as shown in FIG. 7, rather than defined by elevated walls, being in fact defined by the sides of depressed cut 83. By virtue of this arrangement the emptied vans, when returned by the truck 75, are lowered from the fully tilted lift bed 100 of 5 the truck and permitted to roll against the positioning wall 88, this operation causing the winch cable 94 to be fully paid out. The cable is then left paid out and ready for attachment to a loaded van at siding 70, where the truck stops to pick up a loaded van before returning to the dump site.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for compaction loading material into elongated van bodies of a type transportable in a lengthwise positioning on elevatable turntable-type carriers of van-carrying railcars, comprising in combination with a trackway, a pair of supports extending along opposite sides of the trackway at an elevation higher than the lowered position of such turntable-type carriers but lower than the highest elevated position to which van bodies can be raised thereby, the spacing between said supports being less than the length of the van bodies, and a plurality of cargo injection-compaction units beside and at an angle to the trackway in positions to be coupled to the van bodies when such bodies are resting in a transverse positioning on the two supports in bridging relation to the trackway.

2. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, means for moving the van bodies on the supports transversely to the trackway to and from coupled relation to the injection-compaction units.

3. Means as defined in claim 1 wherein said compactors are spaced more closely along the trackway than the spacing between the centers of rotation of said tumtable-type carriers.

4. Means as defined in claim 1 including a second trackway parallel to the first and close to an intermediate one of said supports, a third support of a height conforming to that of the previously mentioned supports and on the farther side of said second trackway, and means appurtenant to said second trackway for moving vans across the intermediate support to bridging relationship with respect to the intermediate and farther supports.

5. in combination with means as defined in claim 1. means at one side of said trackway for moving cars therealong.

6. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, means at one side of said trackway for moving cars therealong. and means appurtenant to each of said injection-compaction units for controlling said car moving means.

7. In combination with means as defined in claim 4, car moving means appurtenant to each of said trackways for moving cars along the trackways.

8. Means as defined in claim 1 including a platform spacedly overlying said injection-compaction units and having openings therein through which lading may fall into said units. 

1. Means for compaction loading material into elongated van bodies of a type transportable in a lengthwise positioning on elevatable turntable-type carriers of van-carrying railcars, comprising in combination with a trackway, a pair of supports extending along opposite sides of the trackway at an elevation higher than the lowered position of such turntable-type carriers but lower than the highest elevated Position to which van bodies can be raised thereby, the spacing between said supports being less than the length of the van bodies, and a plurality of cargo injection-compaction units beside and at an angle to the trackway in positions to be coupled to the van bodies when such bodies are resting in a transverse positioning on the two supports in bridging relation to the trackway.
 2. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, means for moving the van bodies on the supports transversely to the trackway to and from coupled relation to the injection-compaction units.
 3. Means as defined in claim 1 wherein said compactors are spaced more closely along the trackway than the spacing between the centers of rotation of said turntable-type carriers.
 4. Means as defined in claim 1 including a second trackway parallel to the first and close to an intermediate one of said supports, a third support of a height conforming to that of the previously mentioned supports and on the farther side of said second trackway, and means appurtenant to said second trackway for moving vans across the intermediate support to bridging relationship with respect to the intermediate and farther supports.
 5. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, means at one side of said trackway for moving cars therealong.
 6. In combination with means as defined in claim 1, means at one side of said trackway for moving cars therealong, and means appurtenant to each of said injection-compaction units for controlling said car moving means.
 7. In combination with means as defined in claim 4, car moving means appurtenant to each of said trackways for moving cars along the trackways.
 8. Means as defined in claim 1 including a platform spacedly overlying said injection-compaction units and having openings therein through which lading may fall into said units. 